It’s pickling season! Gardens are producing their abundance and the people who cook at home are trying to preserve the bounty. Pickling with vinegar is one of the world’s oldest food preservation methods, having survived about 4,000 years. Paula Johnson of Port Haywood has been busy this summer as she has for many years—putting up pickles. For three days each year, Paula’s kitchen is full of the sweet aroma of pickles and spices. “It takes two days for the sweet pickles and three days for the lime pickles,” she said. “I once had a garden in which I raised my own seedless cucumbers for pickling. Now I get them from a vendor at the Mathews Farmers’ Market. I let him know when I need them, and he always has one-half to one bushel for me.” Paula said she learned how to cook by watching her mother but adds, “When I was first married my husband said I couldn’t boil water.” She uses her mother-in-law’s recipe to make pickles. “She once made these pickles. When she stopped, I started.” Althoug...